China emerges as the undeniable leader in the hydrogen race. With a colossal network of over 400 hydrogen refueling stations, the country stands at the forefront of a clean energy revolution, shaping the landscape of a future fueled by hydrogen.
Jiang Lijun, vice president of the Chinese Renewable Energy Society, underscores China’s prominence by revealing that the nation has not only built the world’s largest network of hydrogen refueling stations but has also operationalized a significant portion—280 stations to date. This infrastructure forms the backbone of China’s ambitious foray into the hydrogen energy landscape.
The China Hydrogen Alliance (CHA) paints a compelling vision for the future, estimating that by 2025, the hydrogen energy industry’s output value will soar to 1 trillion yuan (approximately $14 billion). Hydrogen is slated to encompass more than 10 percent of China’s terminal energy system, with the industrial chain’s annual output value reaching a staggering 12 trillion yuan by 2025.
The CHA predicts that by 2030, China’s hydrogen energy market will reach a monumental scale of 43 million tonnes. Significantly, green hydrogen, derived from renewable sources like wind and solar power, is poised to escalate from 1 percent of the energy mix in 2019 to an impressive 10 percent, marking a nearly 30-fold increase in market scale.
Despite being the largest global producer and consumer of hydrogen, the World Economic Forum’s report highlights that less than 0.1 percent of China’s hydrogen production comes from renewable sources. The challenge now lies in amplifying the share of green hydrogen to align with broader sustainability goals.
China’s strategic commitment to hydrogen is evidenced by the release of its national-level construction guideline for the hydrogen energy industry chain. This comprehensive plan aims to establish a robust hydrogen energy industry development system by 2025, aligning with the nation’s broader new-energy and green development sectors.
In a regional context, Guangdong Province issued a guideline in November, charting a course for the accelerated development of the hydrogen industry. With an ambitious target of expanding the industry scale to 300 billion by 2027, this regional initiative contributes to China’s overarching vision for a thriving hydrogen economy.
As per the March 2021 plan, China aspires to achieve a complete hydrogen energy industry development system by 2025. By 2035, the focus will intensify on increasing the proportion of hydrogen produced from renewable sources in terminal energy consumption, playing a pivotal role in steering China’s green energy transformation.
